bzzzzzzack in the building!

brooklyn we back on the map!!!

after 6 months of being away, in india, i'm back. 

part of me wanted to stay more. not just for a day or two but for another 6 months, maybe another year or three. india holds a special place in my heart. it is the name of the land my father and grandmamas and grandpapas were born, raised and shaped in/by.

i was cut by a similar cloth, here in new york and being back brings the promises of continuing to build on ancient medicine. diasporas upon diasporas of traditions co-exist here and the opportunity to share and grow rich in knowledge is immense. 

already, i will be continuing to work with bees, both at the navy yard and with my friend olivia. after doing a six month apprenticeship with Tim Oneil last year, my longing to be around bees has been buzzing in the back of my head. just like with the ayurveda courses, none of the two courses i took with bees could've prepared me from actually hanging with them. 

we have a bunch of two hives in the gowanus park, that we'll be watching over. i met this elder who i've been real excited about. he does bee sting therapy and i'll be meeting with him once or twice a week to get deeper in my understanding of bees, therapies and wondering of how one system connects with another. for instance, i wonder how bee sting therapy connects or can connect with marma points. 

i'm also just beginning a western herbalism course to complement the dravayaguna-ayurvedic system of herbology. part of the challenge with practicing ayurveda outside of india is that many of the herbs/plants from there are not found here. but the great thing is that there are plants here with similar properties that can be used in place. 

fame, my acupuncturist friend, has been kind enough to welcome me into her practice, to enrich my knowledge of herbs. what's cool about is that she's trained in traditional chinese medicine and understands, interacts with herbs from this perspective. it'll be interesting to see how ayurveda and chinese medicine correspond.